Monster Character WiKi

Slenderman

 

         

          One of the newer monsters into the monster genre is Slenderman.   Slenderman began to strike fear into the lives of many in 2009 when there was a post in an online forum dedicated to creepy stories.  The image of Slenderman was created when he was photo-shopped into pictures of forests, parks, and buildings.  Slenderman was not the focus of the picture, but standing eerily in the background.  A few months later, an ongoing YouTube series titled Marble Hornets was created which made its way onto the internet (The Daily Dot).  This series started an urban legend that many people believe to be true.  Slenderman can also be found in the video game, Slender.  The video game is of the horror genre as well in which the object of the game is to collect eight pieces of paper while you are alone in the forest, all while avoiding Slenderman.

 

            I believe that the reason Slenderman is so terrifying is because he is not like most monsters.  He is humanoid, yet he has no face.  You cannot be comforted by him at first glance because he is not human.  You are not at ease when you look at his face, expecting to see two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.  The blank region where his features should be is just an empty white space.  It is the ambiguity of his emotion that makes him so creepy.  This allows the person being scared to project any emotion onto the face of Slenderman, making him scarier than he appears.  As a result of having no mouth, he is silent and cannot verbally communicate with anyone.  Society runs from social cues and communication.  When this communication is broken, one can only wonder what is to happen next.  He does not verbally threaten you, which is terrifying because you know something bad is going to happen, but you are left to guess what the endgame will be.  Slenderman is taller than most humans, with a slim figure.  Humans have an animalistic fear of beings that are larger in size than them.  If Slenderman were small and plump, surely he would not be as intimidating.  Something else to consider is how Slenderman is dressed; he wears a black suit with a white shirt.  We are trained through observational learning to associate suits with power, respect, and dignity.  This effect does a number on us psychologically because there is such a contrast between a suit and a monster.  A man in a suit can also be well dressed and professional along with powerful, so the contrast between professionalism and a horrifying creature is disturbing.  A final thought as to why Slenderman is so terrifying is the fear of the unknown.  We do not know why he is lurking or what happens to people when they are taken by Slenderman.  We are left to assume the worst, but nobody knows for certain.  The fact that he preys on children as well as the lives of the innocent is upsetting to think about.  The idea of children disappearing without a trace is unsettling and you have to assume the worst because you once again have only your thoughts as to what will happen or already happened.  Slenderman is a very interesting monster to think about.  Just because he does not fit the role of the more popular monsters, does not make him any less terrifying.